17. Nearly half the population of Guinea lives in poverty.

Security forces face down rioters in Conakry, Guinea, after a young man died from a gunshot wound. His death was later blamed on police.
Youssouf Bah/Associated Press

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16. Al-Qaeda and ISIS affiliated groups terrorize Mali.

Fire erupted at a tourist resort near Bamako, Mali in June 2017 after suspected jihadists attacked the hotel, taking dozens of hostages.
Baba Ahmed/Associated Press

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15. Democratic Republic of Congo

A member of the Congolese security force chases people during a protest in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, December 2017. Security forces shot and killed two men outside a church while dispersing protesters, according to Human Rights Watch.
John Bompengo/Associated Press

The CIA estimates the Democratic Republic of Congo hosts over 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers. As of 2014, nearly two-thirds of the country's population lived under the poverty line.

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14. Mexico's homicide rate is soaring.

Police stand guard near the site where dozens of mass graves were found in Veracruz, Mexico. At least 170 human skulls were found at the site in September 2018.
Felix Marquez/Associated Press

13. Brazil

Brazilian armed forces patrol the Kelson's slum during an operation against crime in Rio de Janeiro in February 2018.
Pilar Olivares/Reuters

Brazil is also the second-largest consumer of cocaine in the world, according to the CIA.

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12. Murder, domestic violence, and sexual assaults each saw an increase in Trinidad and Tobago in 2017

A police officer and soldier secure the perimeter of Yasin Abu Bakr's compound after detaining him in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 2005. Abu Bakr was the leader of Jamaat al-Muslimeen, a Trinidadian terrorist group, and allegedly had connections with Libya's Muammar al-Gaddafi.
Shirley Bahadur/Associated Press

10. Jamaica

A photo from 2009 shows seized handguns in a police station in Kingston, Jamaica. Firearms are used in the majority of murders and 80% of Jamaica's guns can be traced back to the US.
Ricardo Arduengo/Associated Press

The US State Department has warned travelers of a prevalence of sexual assault in Jamaica, which was unraveled by USA Today.

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9. South Africa has a long history of government corruption.

An Economic Freedom Fighters supporter holds a fake gun outside parliament buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, ahead of a 2017 march calling for the ousting of President Zuma for corruption charges.
Brent Stirton/Getty

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8. Colombia

Investigators recover children's remains at a farm near Medellin, Colombia in 2015. At the time authorities said the bodies of two women and two children had been found; the suspect confessed to at least 20 murders.
Luis Benavides/Associated Press

Nearly one-third of the population of Colombia lives under the poverty line, according to the CIA.

The US recognizes two terrorist organizations, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), in the country.

Colombia is the world's largest producer of coca derivatives, and the second largest supplier of heroin to the US.

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7: Philippines

A homemade pistol lies next to the body of a crime suspect killed in a gun battle in 2017 as part of Philippine President Duterte's controversial drug killings.
Bullit Marquez/Associated Press

The US recognizes four terrorist organizations in the Philippines, including ISIS, Jamaah Islamayah, the New People's Army, and Abu Sayyaf.

There are also nearly 500,000 displaced Philippino citizens, according to the CIA.

Since his election in 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has employed his police forces in a controversial war on drugs, killing suspected drug dealers and users often without a trial.

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6: Guatemala

Family members carry the caskets of two boys who were kidnapped and killed in 2017 in San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala.
John Moore/Getty

Crimes like these have driven emigration to the US as families seek refuge from violence.

The boys were 10 and 11 years old.

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5. Honduras

Family members clean the blood of their relative out of the alley in which he was killed in Japon neighborhood, Tegucigalpa, home to the Barrio 18 gang.
Esteban Felix/Associated Press

Nearly 200,000 Honduran citizens have been displaced due to violence, threats, and forced gang affiliation with MS-13 and Barrio 18.

Honduras has historically had one of the highest murder rates in the world.

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4. Yemen

A Houthi militant watches over a rally denouncing the devaluation of the Yemeni Rial in Sanaa.
Khaled Abdulla/Reuters

Yemen is in the midst of its years-long civil war, which is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen's central government, and Iran, which supports the Houthi rebels.

Al-Qaeda's AQAP branch and ISIS also have a presence in the nation. It also hosts a number of undetected minefields, over half its citizens live in poverty, and as war rages food insecurity is on the rise.

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3. Nigeria

Security officers stand guard where German archaeologists were kidnapped in Janjala village, Nigeria, in February 2017. Kidnappers ransomed their captives for $200,000 and killed two villagers during the kidnapping.
Lekan Oyekanmi/Associated Press

Boko Haram and ISIS maintain a presence in Nigeria, and despite oil resources, nearly two-thirds of the country's population live in extreme poverty.

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2. Venezuela

Protesters silhouetted in clouds of tear gas launched by government security forces during clashes in Caracas, Venezuela. Thousands of citizens protested for months, blaming Venezuelan President Maduro for inflation, crime and food insecurity.
Ariana Cubillos/Associated Press

Unemployment and trafficking in persons continue to plague Venezuela, which also hosts recognized terrorist organization National Liberation Army (ELN).

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The world's most dangerous country: El Salvador

Investigators examine the body of an executed man in San Salvador, El Salvador. Authorities say thousands of gang members are responsible for the majority of the nation's crimes.
Rebecca Blackwell/Associated Press

Authorities recorded nearly 4,000 murders in El Salvador in 2017 alone, and say that most criminal activity is a result of gang violence at the hands of MS-13 and Barrio 18.

El Salvador's soaring homicide rate has forced thousands of its citizens to seek asylum in the US.